What is A Course In Miracles about — really?
I consider this to be a legitimate inquiry because A Course In Miracles is not, in my opinion and based upon my experience, easily understood. So if it’s not clear what the work is about then there will be, and is, confusion about its actual message.
I may not be the ideal candidate to provide an explanation but since I’m the only one writing in this time and space, I’ll volunteer myself. A Course In Miracles is, in essence, a self-help work and its aim is to end suffering. Suffering only occurs, according to A Course In Miracles (ACIM), because of a subconscious belief in being apart from God. Now here’s where ACIM becomes particularly unusual.
The notion of separation from God is a false notion and we are actually with God in Heaven now — right now. How can we be with God in Heaven but experience life as we know it, which for most of us is anything but heavenly? It’s because the life experience is akin to a dream… a bad dream.
The life experience is, in fact, a false reality. Our purpose then, which is fairly obvious in a circumstance like this, is to disengage from the bad dream, to wake up to our actual experience of life with God in Heaven.
There’s your basic overview of A Course In Miracles.
Given this description can ACIM be considered dangerous? Anything, just about, can be considered dangerous depending upon a person’s outlook. ACIM is certainly unusual but as to the question of whether it’s inherently dangerous, whether it is dangerous by its very nature, I believe the answer is no.
Will ACIM, if you seriously engage it, change your perspective? Absolutely. You will look at the world much differently if you consider the world to be a false reality. But there is nothing within ACIM, that I am aware of, that calls for you to harm yourself or anyone else. To the contrary, it calls upon you to stop interacting with the world in a hostile way; to stop condemning and having conflict with the world around you, including other people.
I consider that to be a peaceful approach.
The outcome of this admonition, to stop being in conflict with the world around us and to instead forgive it — a process that involves accepting the world as a false image and to hold no blame or condemnation towards this false state — the outcome of this, when it’s done as prescribed by the Course (as A Course In Miracles is sometimes called) I believe results in a most profound state of peace.
It’s quite remarkable and I do encourage everyone to have this experience for themselves, if they feel adequately comfortable in trying ACIM out. Whom do I recommend A Course In Miracles to? Anyone really, but particularly to people who feel generally dissatisfied with life or who feel themselves to be suffering.
And where does the notion of ACIM being dangerous come from? I believe it comes from, for the most part, religious perspectives. This is to say that people strongly connected or committed to particular religious outlooks seem most likely to attack ACIM — and this may be especially true of Christians. This is not because Christians are naturally inclined to attacking behavior but because ACIM invokes Jesus in a quite non-traditional way, and Christians especially may consider this blasphemous.
Well, here’s a reality: A Course In Miracles does contradict traditional teachings about Jesus including Biblical scripture. Some people will consider this unacceptable while others won’t be particularly bothered by it. My feeling is that people can reject ACIM as they see fit, whether they believe remaining true to their faith calls for it or for some other reason. But I stand by my previous stance regarding A Course In Miracles: it is a help, a significant help, and not a harm.
The fundamental principle of A Course In Miracles, I believe, is love generally and the love of God specifically. It is not traditionally religious, does not advocate worship, rejects the idea of sin, and considers all people to be most holy. This is my take on the teaching. Consider A Course In Miracles for yourself, if you’d care to, and come to your own conclusions.
(Learn more about A Course In Miracles Here.)
